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Presentation on theme: "The Shape of an Academic Paper"— Presentation transcript:

2An Academic Paper Has a ShapeThe following examples use dummy text, highlighted to emphasize structural details.We’ll analyze a simple structure.Your instructor may ask for a specific, more complicated structure.The basic principles will still apply.

7Caution! Three mini-papers do not make a coherent argument.Note: You don’t need exactly 3 points.Note: One point may require more than one paragraph.

8Controlling IdeaIntro: A clear thesis (Green). “Huck’s conflicted conscience is a moral mirror of his times.”Body: Relate points to thesis.“The most obvious way that Huck reflects the morality of his time is…”“Huck further illustrates an ethical conflict when he…”“Huck more subtly comments on contemporary morality when he…”Conclusion: Not just a summary. Rather, it is the destination at which the paper has been driving all along.

9Follow a BlueprintA good thesis (green) briefly introduces the supporting points (yellow, blue, magenta).The paper should treat those points, in the order in which the thesis mentions them.

10Use QuotationsSupport your points with direct references to the texts you are studying (light green).Every paragraph in this example includes several brief direct quotes. That’s good.

12Stay on TopicAvoid starting with a list of ideas that you do not plan to investigate thoroughly.X “There are many ways of looking at subject A. Some people say X, some say Y, and some say Z. This paper will argue Q, which involves points Q1, Q2, and Q3.”The reference to Z, Y, and Z appears to be a plan for the paper, but it turns out to be a dead end.

14Continue In an Orderly FashionBoth papers continue to handle each of the supporting points in the same order in which they were introduced.

15A Bare List Looks Like UncertaintyThe first example lists the supporting points, but so briefly that it’s almost as if the author doesn’t yet know what to talk about:Clemens lampoons (1) religious dogma, (2) racial prejudice, and (3) anti-social violence.[Why should the reader care? Does anybody doubt that Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a satirical comedy? What’s your point?]

16Start Persuading Right Away!The second example begins the argument right away.(1) Clemens humorously contrasts the rigid religious beliefs of the Widow Douglas with Huck’s native conscience. (2) We see a similar opposition between the senseless racial diatribes of Pap, and the sentimentalized portrayal of Jim. (3) Huck also finds himself torn between civilization and nature. Huck’s comically exaggerated motion across these three thresholds mirrors his moral development.[Oh, I see – your point is that the exaggeration helps throw the moral conflict into sharper focus. This sounds like a much better paper.]

17Avoid Looking BackwardsAvoid back-stitchingThis author recognized the need to supply transitions……but simply tacked the topic sentence from the next paragraph onto the end of the previous.The flow suffers.

18Don’t Delay SynthesisOnly in the conclusion do the three main ideas appear together.That’s much too late.

19Build on Your StrengthsThis author should revise.Take the last few sentences of the conclusion and work them into the thesis paragraph.

20As Always, Style MattersMechanically following any of these guidelines won’t guarantee success.A clunky or misleading transition is often worse than no transition at all.First get the structure down, then revise for style and elegance.

21More PointersA single source, character or event is not the same thing as a supporting point.Source A, Source B, and Source C may each offer important insight.Character A, character B, and character C may each be important.But… writing a paragraph about each will lead to dry summary, rather than insightful synthesis and evaluation.